Checks

Abstract

In 1940, the first monthly Social Security payment in the form of a paper check was issued. Social Security was established by the United States government as a universal retirement system for workers. The Social Security check became a symbol of the social safety net for older Americans, and the relation of that safety to a lifetime of compulsory productivity. Over the years, there has been much innovation in the physical properties of Social Security checks, as well the systems that produce, distribute, and cash them. The Social Security, check, however, will soon become a thing of the past. With or without their cooperation, recipients are being transitioned to electronic direct deposit systems.</p